It's only
rats that consume the food and undermine the foundations of the house
that shelters them. A traitor within the camp is more to be dreaded
than an open enemy without. Of the two, the extreme low-churchmen are
the most dangerous, for they furnish the greatest number of recruits
of schism, and, strange to say, for popery too. Search the list of
those who have gone over to Rome, from Ahab Meldrum to Wilberforce,
and you will find the majority were originally Puritans or
infidels--men who were restless, and ambitious of notoriety, who had
learning and talent, but wanted common sense. They set out to astonish
the world, and ended by astonishing themselves. They went forth in
pursuit of a name, and lost the only one they were known by. Who can
recognise Newman in Father Ignatius, who, while searching for truth,
embraced error? or Baptist Noel in the strolling preacher, who uses a
horse-pond instead of a font, baptizes adults instead of infants, and,
unlike his Master, 'will not suffer little children to come unto him?'
Ah, Doctor, there are texts neither of these men know the meaning of,
'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.' One of them has yet to learn that
pictures, vestments, music, processions, candlesticks, and
confessionals are not religion, and the other that it does not consist
in oratory, excitement, camp-meetings, rant, or novelties.
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